IONAL 
LANDMARK 


STONE  &  WEBSTER 


C'VJ 
OJ 

O 


A  NATIONAL 
LANDMARK 


Copyright  1920 

by 
Stone  &  Webster 

Incorporated 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS 
INSTITUTE  OF  TECHNOLOGY 


STONE  &.  WEBSTER 


INCORPORATED 


I  1  m  ml  m    I  I 


THE  NEW  TECHNOLOGY 

UNDER  the  inspiration  and  leadership  of  the  late  Dr. 
Richard  C.  Maclaurin  the  long-cherished  hope  of  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  of  one  day  owning 
and  occupying  a  home  worthy  of  the  school's  high  traditions 
became  an  accomplished  fact. 

From  his  inauguration  as  president  in  June,  1909,  Dr. 
Maclaurin  recognized  the  practical  nature  of  the  problem, 
and  that  enthusiasm  must  be  supplemented  with  a  business 
organization  which  would  interest  not  only  the  alumni,  but 
all  friends  of  education. 

Two  years  later  success  was  foreshadowed  in  the  announce- 
ment by  Dr.  Maclaurin  of  a  special  site  committee,  and  in 
October,  1911,  the  corporation  announced  the  selection  of  the 
fifty-acre  tract  on  the  Cambridge  Embankment  of  the  Charles 
River  Basin. 

In  February,  1913,  Welles  Bosworth,  '89,  of  New  York, 
was  chosen  architect,  and  the  selection  nine  months  later  of 
Stone  <Sc  Webster  as  constructing  engineers  officially  marked 
the  beginning  of  building  operations.  In  June,  1915,  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Institute,  the  new 
plant  was  officially  dedicated  with  imposing  ceremonies. 


445216 


THE  most  striking  single  feature  of  the  new  buildings  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  is  the  entrance 
portico  of  Ionic  columns  at  the  head  of  the  Grand  Court, 
shown  on  this  and  the  preceding  page.  Above  the  portico  rises 
the  dome  of  the  Library,  unifying  and  giving  harmony  to  the 
whole  group. 


'1IUKU1 

E  L  F  C  P  D  •  S  T  E  P  H  E  N  SO  N • 
PSj_P_,A_NKIN  E  •  E  A  D  S- 


10 


FROM  either  side  of  the  Grand  Court  open  minor  courts, 
flanked  by  pavilions  of  graceful  proportions,  each  one 
bearing  the  names  of  eminent  scientists  and  engineers  —  an 
inspiration  to  coming  generations. 


11 


12 


THE  buildings  of  the  Institute,  beginning  at  Massachusetts 
Avenue,  extend  for  a  third  of  a  mile  along  the  Cambridge 
side  of  the  Charles  River  Basin,  dominating  the  water  front. 
On  the  opposite  page  is  a  detail  view  of  the  colonnade, 
under  the  main  portico. 


13 


14 


'  I  "HE  reading  room  of  the  Library  is  situated  under  the 
J^  dome  from  which  comes  ample  light  through  windows 
and  vault  lights  set  in  the  dome  itself.  These  windows,  hid- 
den by  parapets,  are  invisible  from  the  outside.  The  opposite 
page  shows  the  spacious  foyer  of  the  main  educational  group. 


15 


16 


NO    thought   or  expense    has  been   spared  in   planning 
and  equipping  the  laboratories.     Part  of  the  Hydraulic 
Laboratory  is   shown  on  the  left,  and  part  of  the   Electric 
Laboratory  above. 


17 


18 


THEORY  and  practice  side  by  side  are  well  illustrated 
in  these  photographs.     On  the  left  is  the  Mechanical 
Laboratory  with  an  engine-driven  centrifugal  pump  in  the 
foreground,  while  above  is  one  of  the  special  lecture  rooms 
ready  for  a  machine  tool  demonstration. 


19 


THREE  systems  of  ventilation  keep  the  Chemical  Labora- 
tories free  from  noxious  fumes  and  odors.  In  addition 
to  the  exhaust  systems  used  throughout  the  buildings,  there 
are  the  familiar  hood  with  quick  draft  and  mushroom  venti- 
lators at  each  desk,  each  operated  separately.  The  Analytical 
Chemistry  Laboratory  shown  above  is  one  of  two  chemical 
laboratories  of  equal  size. 


20 


THE  Wood-turning  Shop  is  a  spacious  room  containing  a 
complete  equipment  of  the  most  up-to-date,  wood-working 
tools.     Airy  and  well  lighted,  the  room  is  a  striking  example 
of  modern  teaching  and  shop  practice  as  opposed  to  those  of 
a  past  generation. 


-A- 


21 


IN  the  Hydraulic  Laboratory  is  a  1,500  gallon  pressure  pump. 
Heads  up  to  500  feet  can  be  established  by  the  pump  in 
closed  steel  cylinders  which  supply  impulse  wheels  and  pro- 
vide for  the  study  of  flow  through  orifices  —  an  important  fea- 
ture in  hydraulic  work. 


22 


STUDENTS  in  the  two  Mechanical  Engineering  drafting 
rooms  work  under  skylights  in  the  roof,  large  windows 
also   admitting  a   generous    supply  of  daylight.     The  semi- 
indirect  electric  lighting  system  supplemented  by  desk  lights 
permits  work  to  continue  during  the  evening  when  necessary. 


23 


THE  Laboratory  of  Mechanical  Engineering  is  constructed 
as  a  large  bay  with  a  traveling  crane.     Below  the  crane 
may  be  seen  the  steam  and  hydraulic  machinery  of  the  labora- 
tory, including  in  the  background  a  Corliss  engine  used  for 
various  kinds  of  engine  testing. 


24 


rT"'HE  Laboratory  of  Applied  Heat  of  the  Physics  Department 
J^  is  another  example  of  the  roomy,  light,  well-ventilated 
working  quarters  of  the  Institute.  A  modern  improvement 
is  the  use  of  electric  heaters  reliable  for  maintaining  an  even 
temperature  in  experiments  for  indefinite  periods. 


25 


THE  Machine  Tool  Shop  is  a  practical  machine  shop.    Here 
students  apply  the  knowledge  of  machine  tools  taught  in 
lectures  and  become  familiar  with    operating  details  of  the 
various  machines. 


26 


— ~, 


THE  interior  construction    of   the    large  lecture   hall   is 
wholly  of  concrete,  with  a  fireproof  booth  for  moving 
pictures.     A  special  feature  is  the  tracks  on  which  run  the 
demonstrating  tables. 


27 


ONE  of  the  conspicuous  machines  in  the  Mechanical  En- 
gineering Department  is  the  30-inch  circulating  pump, 
with  a  capacity  of  22,000  gallons  per  minute,  used  to  supply 
the  feeder  canal  for  the  penstock  by  means  of  which  water 
wheels  are  tested. 


28 


IN  the  basement  of  the  Mechanical  Engineering  Building  are 
the  condensers  of  the  various  steam  engines,  and  calorim- 
eters   for    experimenting   with    steam    at    all    temperatures. 
Tests  of  the  flow  of  steam  and  air  through  orifices  are  carried 
on  here. 


29 


THIS  is  the  canal  in  the  Hydraulic  Laboratory  for  testing 
water  wheels.     Wheels  requiring  up  to  50  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  second  can  be  tested  under  heads  of  38  feet.     The 
water  passes  through  a  30-inch  Venturi  meter,  with  a  storage 
tank  in  foreground  and  a  pressure  tank  in  the  distance. 


30 


THE  Library  of  Civil  Engineering  contains  a  large  collec- 
tion of  the  latest  books  on  surveying  and  geodesy,  civil, 
sanitary  and  hydraulic  engineering,  and  current  periodicals  on 
these  subjects.  Other  special  libraries  are  devoted  to  chem- 
istry, physics,  electrical  engineering,  geology,  metallurgy,  naval 
architecture  and  marine  engineering. 


31 


IN  memory  of  Margaret  S.  Cheney  a  women's  reading  room 
has  been  established  in  the  main  educational  building. 
The  room  is  maintained  from  the  income  of  a  fund  created 
by  Mrs.  Edna  Dow  Cheney. 


32 


r  I  'HE  Emma  Rogers  Room,  in  the  main  building,  was 
named  in  honor  of  Mrs.  William  Barton  Rogers,  the 
wife  of  Technology's  founder  and  first  president.  The  walls 
are  handsomely  panelled  in  oak,  making  an  attractive  recep- 
tion room  for  the  women  students. 


33 


34 


EAST  of  the  educational  group,  facing  the  river,  is  the 
Walker  Memorial,  erected  by  the  alumni  in  memory  of 
Francis  Amasa  Walker,  former  president  of  the  Institute.  It 
is  a  clubhouse  and  headquarters  for  the  students,  a  meeting 
place  for  the  various  activities  of  college  life,  and  a  place  of 
recreation  and  amusement. 


35 


36 


THE  second  floor  of  the  Walker  Memorial  consists  of  read- 
ing, writing  and  social  rooms,  with  special  rooms  for  the 
faculty  and  alumni,  and  a  handsome  library.  A  portion  of 
the  hall  is  seen  on  the  opposite  page,  with  a  glimpse  of  the 
library,  and  above  is  the  directors'  room  for  meetings  of  the 
directors  of  the  Institute. 


37 


THE  dining  hall  on  the  main  floor  of  the  Walker  Memo- 
rial is  used  also  as  an  auditorium.     Extra  seating  space  is 
provided  in  the  balcony  on  the  second  floor.     The  rest  of  the 
main  floor  consists  of  a  lobby  and  several  lounging  rooms. 


38 


ONE  of  the  popular  features  of  the  Walker  Memorial  is 
the  gymnasium  on  the  third  floor,  directly  above  the 
auditorium.    Convenient  on  the  same  floor  are  shower  baths, 
toilets  and  utility  rooms.     Billiard  rooms  and  bowling  alleys 
are  situated  in  the  basement. 


39 


LOOKING  westward  along  the  Cambridge  waterfront  we 
have  on  the  right  the  dormitories  and  the  president's 
house,  next  the  Walker  Memorial,  and  at  the  left  the  build- 
ings of  the  main  educational  group. 


40 


• >„  I 


THE  dormitory  buildings  are  built  in  two  wings  four  stories 
high,  radiating  from  a  central  tower  of  six  stories,  and 
terminating  at  each  end  in  a  three-storied  bay.     The  presi- 
dent's house  occupies  the  southwest  corner  of  the  plot. 


41 


'  I  'HE  three-storied  bays  at  the  two  extremities  of  the  dor- 
mitory buildings  are  treated  with  flat  pilasters,  decorative 
niches  and  an  open  balustrade  above.  Projecting  bays  mark 
the  entrances  to  the  different  student  houses  and  break  the 
long  wall  surfaces  of  the  two  wings. 


42 


'  I  'HE  first  floors  of  the  dormitory  sections  are  devoted  to 
single  bedrooms,  and  the  remaining  floors  to  suites  for 
two  or  three  men,  usually  consisting  of  a  study,  dressing 
room  and  bedroom.  Toilet  facilities  are  provided  on  each 
floor,  and  most  of  the  single  bedrooms  are  complete  with 
lavatories. 


43 


EVERY  section  in  the  dormitory  buildings  has  its  own 
entrance  and  staircase,  making  of  each  a  complete  unit. 
The  end  sections  are  occupied  by  fraternities,  and  a  fraternity 
living  room  is  here  shown.     The  fraternities  have  their  own 
kitchens  and  dining  rooms. 


44 


THE  president's  house  faces  the- Charles  River,  forming 
one  corner  of  the  dormitory  group.     The  buildings  on 
either  side  are  the  end  sections  of  the  dormitories. 


45 


'  I  'HE  president's  house  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  enclosing 
J[  at  the  back  a  formal  garden  with  brick  walks,  teahouse, 
fountain  and  shrubbery.  The  view  shown  is  from  one  of  the 
dormitories  looking  across  the  garden  toward  the  Walker 
Memorial. 


46 


FROM  these  dormitory  windows   overlooking   the    quiet 
beauty  of  the  formal  garden  one  views  the  smoking  chim- 
neys and  busy  thoroughfares  of  an  industrial  city. 


47 


Smith  Endicott  Company 
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(20198& 

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LD  21-100m-12,'43  (8790s) 

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YE  10226 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


